‘The Girl in the Spider’s Web’ Eyes ‘The Crown’s Claire Foy as the Next Lisbeth Salander

Claire Foy could be making the transition from Queen Elizabeth to Mean Lisbeth — the star of the acclaimed Netflix series The Crown is reportedly in talks to take on the role of vengeful hacker Lisbeth Salander in Sony’s upcoming Girl With the Dragon Tattoo reboot / sequel. But Rooney Mara’s extra-dedicated portrayal of the punky protagonist (and David Fincher’s artful remake) is a tough act to follow.

The same could be said of Noomi Rapace’s original portrayal of Salander in the Swedish film trilogy based on Stieg Larsson’s book series; even with Fincher at the helm, back then it was difficult to imagine another actor inhabiting the role of Lisbeth as effortlessly as Rapace. But Mara fiercely made the iconic role her own, and according to THR, Foy is in talks to become her successor in The Girl in the Spider’s Web.

Fede Alvarez is directing the studio’s second attempt at launching an American version of the Dragon Tattoo franchise, and rather than work with Fincher’s leftovers, the director of Don’t Breathe is starting from scratch — which means re-casting the role of Lisbeth. The Girl in the Spider’s Web is based on the fourth book in Larsson’s series; written by David Lagercrantz, the novel was published after Larsson’s death and based on the author’s original notes.

(It’s somewhat fitting that Alvarez is similarly taking over an incomplete franchise from its original architect.)

Per THR’s report, Sony narrowed their shortlist down to two finalists: Foy and Felicity Jones, though The Crown star reportedly has an official offer and the role is hers should scheduling allow.